Product Description

Have you ever had the desire to walk the streets of Victorian London
with Sherlock Holmes in search of Professor Moriarty? To search the docks
for the giant rat Sumatra? To walk up Baker Street as the fog is rolling
in and hear Holmes cry out, "Come, Watson, come! The game is afoot!"?
Now you can! You can enter the opium den beneath the Bar of Gold, but
beware, that may be Colonel Sebastian Moran lurking around the corner. You
can capture the mystery and excitement of Holmes' London in this
challenging and informative game. You, the player, will match your
deductive abilities against your opponents and the master sleuth himself,
Sherlock Holmes.

You are presented with a mystery to solve, and it is then up to you to
trace the threads of evidence through the byways and mansions of nineteenth
century London. You will interview suspects, search the newspapers
for clues, and put together the facts to reach a solution.

Why were two lions murdered in Hyde Park? Who is responsible for
the missing paintings from the National Gallery? Who murdered Oswald
Mason and why? These are just a few of the cases that will challenge your
ingenuity and deductive abilities.

This is not a board game: No dice, no luck, but a challenge to your
mental ability. The game has been thoroughly researched for Holmesian
and Victorian accuracy so as to capture a feeling of that bygone era.

Product Reviews

I played this many years ago when I was in Uni and now that my son has finished his first sherlock holmes stories, have pulled it out again, to find that its still a GREAT game!

So great, that I started surfing to find copies of the supplements which I never bought (couldnt afford!) last time round - Queen's Park, Mansion Murders, etc.

Its really not a board game as others have rightly said. Really like a solitaire RPG where you assess the evidence and information you have gathered from earlier clues, choose your next location, and check to see if it provides you with more clues.

No luck involved, pure deductive skill and wow, its not easy at all! Great in teams where you are bound to see many theories, arguments, etc by each team!

Before the PC became affordable, we even managed to run very successful play-by-mail sessions, with up to 20-30 people trying to solve the case at the same time!

Only 1 grouse prevents me from giving it a 5, which it truly deserves for gameplay ---- the clues are all found in a clue book and to reach your location number you cant help but avoid seeing/peeping at other locations which may contain more clues.

On the whole, a super game, well worth finding a copy (together with its expansions)!

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective is a difficult game to categorize. While it is a mystery game, it is NOTHING like [page scan/se=0038/sf=category/fi=stockall.asc/ml=20]Clue and its ilk. While its roots are firmly in the 'choose your adventure' genre of children's literature, it is not for children, and completely transcends that genre.

The players are presented with a case, which is written very much in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. They then can peruse the newspapers for further clues, or go to various London locations to interview suspects. The materials provided for the game are very much in period and the cases are devious. Often one must track a story over the course of several days' newspapers in order to grasp the full scope of a case. Seemingly unrelated stories and plotlines come together in strange and wonderful Holmesian ways.

It is a shame that this product, its supplements, and its sister product Gumshoe are no longer on the market. They represent the finest example of literary gaming I have ever encountered. Why read a book, when you can play it? Highly recommended

I agree with Russell's take on this game: like the old D&D adventure books. But this one has a twist: more options to help your case solving ability... or lead you astray!

I have owned this game for about 17 years and I still go back to it every once in a while, especially since my son's getting old enough to enjoy it! The components are top notch. If you're lucky enough to have the original binder version, it makes a great conversation piece.

The game plays like a story. You get an introduction, start your investigation by asking witnesses questions, visiting crime scenes, (both are described story-like in the game's paragraphs), or scamming info from the local paper. All these options cost you time, which determines your success in the case.

The designers sure did put a lot of thought into this one; there are not many 'dead ends' that you can run into, which is quite amazing for a game of this scope! There were 3 expansions produced for this game, and one was a huge case that was part of their crime-solving contest held back in the late 80's, I think. Those that like a twist in gaming should like this one!